Conrad Distillery Founder and Master Distiller Debra Spence has been named a Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 finalist in the Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards.
For Debra, the recognition connects two chapters of her life that, at first glance, seem worlds apart: serving in the Royal Australian Air Force and building an Australian craft distillery.
Yet look a little closer, and the connection becomes clear.
Long before Conrad Distillery existed, Debra began her career in the Royal Australian Air Force as an avionics electrician.
It was a technical world where precision mattered. Problems needed solutions, details could not be overlooked, and getting the job almost right simply wasn’t good enough.
Those early lessons stayed with her.
Although distilling is a very different industry, Debra still relies on many of the same skills today. Discipline, technical precision, resilience and problem-solving all play a role. Just as importantly, Defence taught her to question, adapt and find a better solution when the obvious one wasn’t working.
Decades later, those foundations helped shape Conrad Distillery.
Debra and William founded Conrad Distillery with a simple belief: Australian spirits could be made differently.
Instead of following the traditional grain-based pathway, Conrad Distillery developed a process that gives Australian wine another opportunity.
Wine that may otherwise have no commercial future can become the foundation for vodka, gin and liqueurs. Through careful distillation, craftsmanship and patience, something overlooked can become something entirely new.
That philosophy has grown into much more than a production method.
It has helped Conrad Distillery build a business around innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship. It has also challenged Debra to combine technical knowledge with creativity — two skills that have followed her throughout her working life.
The result is an award-winning Australian distillery that continues to experiment, evolve and question convention.
The theme of the 2026 Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards is “Success beyond service.”
The theme recognises how veterans and Defence partners continue to contribute through civilian employment and entrepreneurship. It also highlights qualities developed through Defence, including leadership, teamwork, discipline and adaptability.
For Debra, that idea has particular meaning.
Leaving Defence did not mean leaving those skills behind. Instead, they became tools she carried into other industries, businesses and, eventually, distilling.
There was no straight line from avionics to spirits.
Perhaps that is the point.
A career can change direction many times, while the lessons gathered along the way continue to shape what comes next.
On 28 October 2026, Debra and William will travel to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for the Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards ceremony, where the national winners will be announced.
Being selected as a Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 finalist is already a significant moment for Debra and Conrad Distillery.
It recognises more than one business or one career.
It represents the value of skills carried forward, the courage to start again and the possibility of building something completely different from everything that came before.
Whatever happens when the winners are announced, we are immensely proud of this recognition.
From avionics to distilling.
From service to entrepreneurship.
And still building what comes next.
Debra Spence is the Founder and Master Distiller of Conrad Distillery, an award-winning Australian distillery dedicated to sustainability, innovation and transforming rescued wines into premium spirits.
